Restrictor Suits
The standard uniform of the deployed Manipulator. Consists primarily of a tactical body suit suitable for aquatic operations, high altitude insertions, and the strenuous applications of manipulator abilities. Also incorporates various combat gear, including helmets and protective ballistics panels. Specifications vary from user to user, based on body type, combat style, manipulation ability, and personal preference, but all Restrictor Suits serve a common purpose: the protection of the manipulator from their own powers, by means of onboard technology incorporated into the suits. Use of a Restrictor Suit is not mandatory, nor does it in any way actually affect the Manipulator’s abilities beyond comfort and safety. However, when deployed to a combat environment, most Manipulators elect to wear one. First & Second Generation Suits Over the decades between the conception of the Pantheon project and the main arc, the design of Restrictor Suits has developed along with advancements in military technology, even after the official abandonment of the project. While the transition actually occurred slowly over several generations, suits are generally considered to fall into two categories. First Generation, "old," or "low-tech" suits include the original designs used in the earliest Pantheon operations and those developed while the project was still active. They are somewhat archaic in form and function and are actually not much more advanced than the standard combat gear of the time, providing the wearer little more advantage than assisted regulation of and protection from the effects of their own powers. The core bodysuits are made of a waterproof, fire and impact-resistant material. Additional equipment typically includes combat trousers and boots, a ballistics vest, and assorted supply bags and other protective gear. All First Generation Restrictor Suits come equipped with an armored backpack, which houses a set of compressed air tanks and a computer. The computer is wired to the wearer through various electrodes and IV's, allowing it to monitor the wearer's vitals and provide feedback through varying peripheral tools, which extend into the body of the suit. The final piece of the suit is a modified flight helmet or gas mask, depending on the user, connected by hose to the backpack unit, employing the reserve tanks in low-oxygen situations. Second Generation, "new," or "high-tech" suits refer to prototypes, developed in secret in the years after Pantheon was discontinued. They follow the aesthetic structure of their progenitors, but there is a marked increase in the direct incorporation of new technologies into the body of the suit itself. The core suit is made of a reinforced smart-fiber, which interfaces with the wearer's body chemistry to provide real-time physical support. In addition, the suits can secrete compounds such as stimulants or sedatives to bolster the wearer's performance. Types of Suits The primary factor in dividing Restrictor Suits into categories is the powers of the wearers. Several different peripheral systems are incorporated into each type of suit in order to facilitate safe field operation. * Gravitational Force Manipulators create environments of intense pressure. Their suits are designed to constrict the body at key points along their arms, legs, and torso, regulating the flow of blood under heavy g-force, similar to the flight suit of the modern jet pilot. The First Generation suits implemented a pneumatic system of heavy-duty tubes, which are wrapped around the limbs and torso. The tubes connect to the backpack unit and the on-board air supply and can automatically or manually expand and contract, applying necessary pressure to the body to suit the situation at hand Second Generation suits abandon the pneumatic system, with constriction being provided by special materials in the body of the suit itself. Electromagnetic manipulators will incorporate strips of copper or other conductive material into their suits, so as to draw electricity away from their flesh, but keep it accessible. Strong and Weak Nuclear force manipulators tend to include thick, radiation-resistant asbestos materials in their suits, and utilize rebreathers and masks to prevent contamination caused by their powers. SWN users are also known to carry a geiger counter with them as well.